Showing posts with label Boston Red Sox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston Red Sox. Show all posts

Friday, January 10, 2025

#315 Milt Bolling - Boston Red Sox


Milton Joseph Bolling
Boston Red Sox
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  177
Born:  August 9, 1930, Mississippi City, MS
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1952-57; Washington Senators 1957; Detroit Tigers 1958
Died:  January 19, 2013, Mobile, AL (age 82)

One of 11 call-ups by the Red Sox in September 1952, Bolling would return to the team in 1953, winning the everyday shortstop job.  He'd have his best season in 1954, playing in a career high 113 games and batting .249 with six home runs and 36 RBIs.  Bolling struggled defensively however, leading the league with 33 errors committed.  He missed almost the entire 1955 season after suffering a broken left elbow in a spring training game.  Bolling returned to the Red Sox in 1956, but Don Buddin had taken over the regular shortstop duties.  Dealt to the Senators in April 1957, Bolling would see his last regular playing time, appearing in 91 games for Washington and making 51 starts at second base.  His final action in the majors came with the Tigers in 1958.  Bolling appeared in exactly 400 games, batting .241 with 50 doubles, 19 home runs and 94 RBIs.  Following his playing days, he returned to the Red Sox organization, where he'd spend more than 30 years working in the team's front office and as a scout.

His younger brother, Frank Bolling, was an infielder for 12 seasons with the Tigers (1954, 1956-60) and Braves (1961-66).  The Bolling brothers were teammates in 1958 with the Tigers, and Frank Bolling was an All-Star with the Braves in 1961 and 1962.

September 15, 2007
Building the Set
September 22, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchases - Card #304
Our first son Doug was born in December 2006, and this happy event led directly to my Dad visiting us on a more regular basis.  Dad was living by himself at this point in Mays Landing, New Jersey and he didn't enjoy the 40 minute drive north to our house.  Among all the very positive memories I have of my Dad, one of my few negative memories is the fact he absolutely seemed to loathe driving and that loathing increased exponentially if there was traffic or if it were dark.  But he made the trips anyway, sometimes staying no more than an hour, because he was so incredibly anxious and excited to spend time with his grandson.

By the time his second grandson (Ben) was born in April 2010, my Dad's health had started to fail and whatever visits we had were pre-arranged or consisted of us visiting him.  Which is why these visits during Doug's infancy and first few years are so special to me.  My Dad would show up usually unannounced, ecstatic to see Doug, there would be some small talk and we'd complain about the Phillies, and then he'd leave.  But on his way out, he'd always say he'd see us again in a few days and I'd look forward to these visits.

This background is needed to better explain how this Bolling card came into our set.  In 2007, My Dad's days mostly consisted of an occasional round of golf, calls and visits to his kids - my sister and me, watching cable news, an afternoon nap and scouring eBay.  Most (but not all) of his eBay purchases benefitted me in the form of 1956 Topps cards we needed for our set.  He'd show up at our house for a visit with Doug and nonchalantly hand me one of his recent purchases.  He brought this Bolling card, by itself, on September 22, 2007.

Throughout 2007, I suspect he had a backlog of purchased 1956 Topps cards piled up on his desk at his house, and he'd grab one or two to deliver to me as he was heading out the door to make the 40 minute drive to visit Doug.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
In a rare occurrence this late in the set, Topps re-used Bolling's photo from his 1954 and 1955 Topps cards here.  Perhaps that's Mickey Mantle (#135) sliding into third base with Bolling applying the tag?  The runner is wearing #7, a number Bolling didn't wear, and the fielder appears to be wearing Red Sox-style stirrups.  The back of the card explains the lack of action the prior year because of Bolling's fractured elbow.

1956 Season
Bolling appeared in only 45 games with the Red Sox, batting .212 with three home runs and eight RBIs.  He wouldn't get his first start until August 16th, eventually starting 17 games at shortstop and eight games at second base.

1953 Topps #280
 
1954 Topps #82
 
1955 Topps #91
 
1957 Topps #131
 
2007 Topps Heritage Real One
Autographs #ROA-MB

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1953 Topps #280
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1953-58
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2007 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-MB

Topps erroneously pictured Lou Berberet (#329) on Bolling's final flagship card in 1958, but they corrected the error 50 years later with Bolling's card in the 2007 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.

22 - Bolling non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/3/25.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Sunday, November 17, 2024

#313 Gene Stephens - Boston Red Sox


Glen Eugene Stephens
Boston Red Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  175
Born:  January 20, 1933, Gravette, AR
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1951 season
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1952-53, 1955-60; Baltimore Orioles 1960-61; Kansas City Athletics 1961-62; Chicago White Sox 1963-64
Died:  April 27, 2019, Granbury, TX (age 86)

Gene Stephens enjoyed a 12-year big league career serving mostly as a back-up outfielder for four American League teams.  His only time as a true starter came when he was the regular left fielder for the Red Sox in the late 1950s.  He enjoyed his best seasons in 1955 (career high .293 average) and 1959 (career high 39 RBIs) and led all American League left fielders with assists in both those seasons as well.  He entered the record books on June 18, 1953 when he became the first player in the modern era to collect three hits in one inning.  Stephens, seeing regular playing time while Ted Williams (#5) was serving with the Marines, had a double and two singles off three different Tigers pitchers in a 23-3 Red Sox rout.  His record has since been tied by Johnny Damon, also of the Red Sox, who collected three hits in an inning on June 27, 2003.

For his career, Stephens hit .240 with 37 home runs and 207 RBIs over 964 games.  Although he appeared in his last Major League game in 1964, he continued to play in the minor league systems of the Braves, Yankees, Pirates and Cubs through 1967.  He appeared in 109 games in 1966 for the Chunichi Dragons of the Japan Central League, batting .224.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #42
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Walker Cooper (#273) post in January.  Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and 16 from series three.   This is the eighth of ten cards to come from the final series four.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Topps gave Stephens his first card in its 1953 set, passed him over for two years, and added him back into the checklist for its 1956 set.  Stephens had spent all of 1954 in the minor leagues, but appeared in 109 games for the Red Sox in 1955.  He wore #38 during most of his time in Boston, and the "3" is visible on the back of his uniform in the action photo.  The cartoons on the back highlight his three hits in an inning feat, his strong minor league performance in 1954, and his role as a defensive back-up.

1956 Season
With Williams, Jim Piersall (#143) and Jackie Jensen (#115) as the regulars in the outfield, Stephens proved to be a reliable fourth outfielder, ultimately appearing in 104 games.  He made just two starts all season - one in right field in June, and one in left field in September.  Stephens batted .270 (17 for 63) with seven RBIs.  A successful pinch-hitter, he batted .304 (7 for 23) and his lone home run came during a pinch-hitting appearance.  Most of his action came as either a pinch-hitter, pinch-runner, or a late-inning defensive replacement  for Williams in left.

1953 Topps #248
1959 Topps #261
1961 Topps #102
1962 Topps #38
1965 Topps #498

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1953 Topps #248
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1953, 1956-62, 1964-65
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #248

43 - Stephens non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/17/24.

 Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog
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Sunday, August 18, 2024

#304 Frank Malzone - Boston Red Sox


Frank James Malzone
Boston Red Sox
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  180
Born:  February 28, 1930, Bronx, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:   Boston Red Sox 1955-65; California Angels 1966
Died:  December 29, 2015, Needham, MA (age 85)

Frank Malzone manned the hot corner for the Red Sox for over a decade, and in total spent nearly six decades in various roles with the club.  Malzone first got the chance to play regularly in 1957, and he'd reward manager Pinky Higgins with the first of eight All-Star Game selections and by finishing second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting to the Yankees' Tony Kubek.  Malzone also won the first of his three Gold Gloves that season and drove in a career-high 103 runs.  On the way to that first Gold Glove, he became the first player to lead the American League in every defensive category (games, putouts, assists, double plays turned, fielding percentage) as well as errors.  Dependable at the plate, Malzone hit .276 with the Red Sox over 11 seasons.  He left the club briefly following the 1965 season, finishing up his playing career with the Angels.

For his career, Malzone batted .274 with 1,486 hits, 133 home runs and 728 RBIs.  He re-joined the Red Sox as a scout in 1966 and he'd serve as a scout and instructor until the early 1990s when he joined the team's front office.  He was among the inaugural class of inductees into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1995.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set
January 27, 2001 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #226
For Father's Day in 2021, we attended my youngest son's piano recital and then travelled to the Moorestown Mall (in nearby Moorestown, NJ) for a baseball card show.  I don't spend a lot of time in malls, but I thought this one looked vaguely familiar.  As it turns out, I was at the very same mall 20 years earlier with my Dad for his 57th birthday.  We paid $60 for four cards for our 1956 Topps set, with the biggest purchase being the Harmon Killebrew card (#164) that set us back $38.  Based on my checklist at the time, we got a good deal on this card as I had the Killebrew card listed as one of the more valuable cards we still needed at a range of $60 to $100.  The other three cards added were this Malzone card, Carl Erskine (#233) and Ellis Kinder (#336).

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
This is Malzone's first Topps card, and his rookie card can be found in the 1955 Bowman set.  The action shot shows Malzone about to apply a late tag to a baserunner that could be the Tigers' Bill Tuttle (#203), the Indians' Hank Majeski, or the Nationals' Pete Runnels (#234), as those three American Leaguers all wore #5 during the 1955 season.  The cartoons on the back highlight his successful minor league season in 1955, as well as his six hits in a double header against the Orioles on September 20th.  Malzone had just made his big league debut a few days before, pinch-running in a game on September 17th.

1956 Season
Malzone began the season with the Red Sox, but batted just .165 through 27 games, and was demoted to the Triple-A San Francisco Seals in the beginning of June for the remainder of the season.  With the Seals, Malzone batted .296 in 87 games with six home runs and 42 RBIs.  He'd be back in 1957 as the opening day third baseman for the Red Sox.

1955 Bowman #302
1958 Topps #260
1959 Topps #558
1962 Topps #225
1966 Topps #152

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #302
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (11):  1956-66
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2015 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-FM

96 - Malzone non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/18/24.

 Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog
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Friday, July 5, 2024

#298 Johnny Schmitz - Boston Red Sox


John Albert Schmitz
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  November 27, 1920, Wausau, WI
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1938 season
Major League Teams:   Chicago Cubs 1941-42, 1946-51; Brooklyn Dodgers 1951-52; New York Yankees 1952; Cincinnati Reds 1952; New York Yankees 1953; Washington Senators 1953-55; Boston Red Sox 1956; Baltimore Orioles 1956
Died:  October 1, 2011, Weston, WI (age 90)

Johnny Schmitz appeared in 28 games for the Cubs in 1941 and 1942 before his baseball career was put on hold while he served with the U.S. Navy in the Pacific theatre of World War II for three years.  Upon his return in 1946, Schmitz had one of his best seasons, going 11-11 for the Cubs and leading the league with 135 strikeouts.  Schmitz made the National League All-Star squad in 1946 and 1948 and was the losing pitcher in the 1948 game when he allowed three runs during his outing.  He pitched in over 200 innings each season between 1946 and 1949.

Schmitz bounced around the majors following his trade from the Cubs in June 1951, playing with the Dodgers, Yankees (twice), Reds, Senators, Red Sox and Orioles.  His last solid season came with the Senators in 1954 when he was 11-8 with a 2.91 ERA in 29 games and 185 1/3 innings pitched.  An excellent fielder throughout his career, Schmitz twice led the league in assists, double plays turned as a pitcher and fielding percentage.  In 13 big league seasons, Schmitz was 93-114 with a 3.55 ERA, 86 complete games and 16 shutouts.

Building the Set
August 13, 1989 in Bridgeton, NJ - Card #85
We went nuts at the Bridgeton Baseball Card Show in August 1989, buying 12 different cards for our 1956 Topps set, all at $1.50 a piece.  That's an impressive haul for $18!


I have no other information on the location of this show, other than it was held in the nearby city of Bridgeton, New Jersey.  What I do have however is the checklist I brought with us to the show.  I believe this is the second full checklist we carried around, having retired the prior version I created in 1988 and posted with the William Harridge (#1) card.

Just looking at this checklist brings back fond memories of finding the cards, deciding to make a purchase, negotiating a price and then finding a flat surface so that we could cross off the newest additions.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
This is Schmitz's final appearance in a Topps set, and he'd sign reprints of this card for the 2005 Topps Heritage release.  He'd very likely wearing a Senators jersey and hat here, with the Topps' artists doing some quick edits to put him into Red Sox gear.  I believe he's standing inside Yankee Stadium given the rectangular building beyond the outfield scoreboard with the Ballantine Beer advertisement.  The back of the card highlights his journeyman status and his fine control.

1956 Season
On November 8, 1955, Schmitz was traded from Washington with Bob Porterfield (#248), Tom Umphlett and Mickey Vernon (#228) to the Red Sox for Al Curtis, Dick Brodowski (#157), Neil Chrisley, Tex Clevenger and Karl Olson (#322).  Schmitz must not have been one of the key reasons for the Red Sox to pull off the massive nine-player deal, as they sold him to the Orioles on May 14th.  Schmitz appeared in two games for the Red Sox, pitching 4 1/3 innings before the trade.  With the Orioles, he pitched in the final 18 games of his major league career, going 0-3 with a 3.99 ERA.

1949 Bowman #52
1950 Bowman #24
1951 Topps Blue Backs #41
1952 Topps #136
1954 Topps #33

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #52
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1951-52, 1954-56
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #RO-JS

38 - Schmitz non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/5/24.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, March 29, 2024

#284 Ike Delock - Boston Red Sox


Ivan Martin Delock
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  November 11, 1929, Highland Park, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:   Boston Red Sox 1952-1953, 1955-1963; Baltimore Orioles 1963
Died:  February 28, 2022, Raleigh, NC (age 92)

Ike Delock was a mainstay on the Red Sox pitching staff through the 1950s and early 1960s, appearing in at least 20 games for the club every season between 1952 and 1961.  A swingman for most of his career, Delock had his best seasons working out of the bullpen for the Red Sox between 1956 and 1959.  During those four years he was a combined 47-29 with a 3.55 ERA in 156 games pitched, including 46 starts.  He also recorded 22 saves during that span.  Injuries curtailed Delock's career, and he retired in 1963 after seven appearances with the Orioles.  In 329 career games, Delock was 84-75 with a 4.03 ERA and 672 strikeouts over 1,238 innings pitched.

Building the Set
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #137
The Roy Campanella (#101) card was my "big" present from Santa for Christmas 1994.  With my Dad's help, Santa secured the Campanella card from Kit Young Cards in San Diego for what my notes say was $75.  That price seems steep, but there were six other cards from the 1956 Topps set under the Christmas tree that year from Kit Young Cards, including this Delock card, with the other six cards costing a combined $20.  In December 1994, I would have been home from college for the winter break of my junior year.

This was the last Christmas my family and I spent in the house on 12th Street in my hometown where I grew up.  My parents were in the process of building a new house and we'd visit the construction site throughout that winter break.  I had a tough time leaving my childhood home behind and the 1994-1995 timeframe brought about quite a few major changes in my life.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Delock appeared in the 1952 Bowman and Topps set, and then disappeared from baseball cards until the 1955 Bowman set.  This is his first Topps appearance since 1952.  There's a Red Sox player making a cameo behind Delock's action photo, and we'll likely never know the identity of the mystery player.  The photo of Delock was likely taken in 1952 or 1953, as that looks to be a #9 peaking through on his back and Delock wore #29 in his first two seasons in Boston.  The cartoon panels on the back detail Delock's progression and his return to the Red Sox in 1955 after a full year in 1954 in the minors.

1956 Season
Delock was one of the more effective relievers in the American League, and one of the most frequently used pitchers by Red Sox manager Pinky Higgins.  The de facto closer for the Red Sox, Delock recorded a team-leading nine saves while going 13-7 with a 4.21 ERA in 48 games pitched.  He also made eight starts, throwing a complete game on May 20th against the White Sox.  His successful campaign led to his winning the Unsung Hero award following the season, as presented by the Boston Baseball Writers.

1952 Topps #329
1957 Topps #63
1959 Topps #437
1961 Topps #268
1963 Topps #136

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1952 Bowman #250
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1952, 1956-1963
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2012 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-ID

25 - Delock non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/23/24.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Friday, June 30, 2023

#256 Tom Hurd - Boston Red Sox


Thomas Carr Hurd
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  155
Born:  May 27, 1924, Danville, VA
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:   Boston Red Sox 1954-1956
Died:  September 5, 1982, Waterloo, IA (age 58)

Originally signed by the White Sox as a shortstop, Tom Hurd made the full-time transition to pitcher in 1948.  He'd play for 14 seasons professionally, waiting until 1954 to make his big league debut at the age of 30.  With no path forward with the White Sox, Hurd was sold to the Red Sox on July 25, 1954.  He'd debut with the club five days later, making 16 appearances overall with Boston.  He'd return to the Red Sox in 1955 and 1956 as one of the club's most frequently used relievers.  Hurd pitched in a career-high 43 games in 1955, with a 3.01 ERA over 80 2/3 innings pitched.  He'd struggle somewhat in 1956, but still made it into 40 games.  Hurd's final big league appearance came on September 29, 1956.

He'd pitch four more seasons in the minor leagues, with a dominating performance in 1958 when he went 10-8 with a 1.65 ERA in 52 appearances for the Minneapolis Millers, managed by Gene Mauch.  It's baffling the third place Red Sox couldn't use his talents during the 1958 season.  Hurd retired from baseball following the 1960 season.  In 99 big league games, Hurd was 13-10 with a 3.96 ERA, with 96 strikeouts and 97 walks in 186 1/3 innings pitched.

1955 Topps #116
Building the Set
January 18, 2003 in Plymouth Meeting, PA - Card #239
In January 2003, I added seven cards to our set, purchased at a baseball card show held inside the Plymouth Meeting Mall.  I paid $45 for the seven cards, which included this Hurd card.  My Topps set building had stalled out somewhat in 2003 as I had switched over to become primarily a Phillies collector, and I was also spending my disposable income trying to put together the early Topps Heritage sets.  This was one of only 18 cards we added to our set in 2003, but we did cross the threshold of needing less than 100 cards to complete the set late in the year.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Hurd is wearing either a White Sox or a minor league jersey in the photo here, and the action shot was taken at Yankee Stadium.  Hurd wore #28 during his Red Sox career, with the #8 peaking through on the back of his jersey.  Hurd appeared in only the 1955 and 1956 Topps sets, with both cards from those sets using the same photo.  The middle cartoon panel on the back of the card highlights his switch from infielder to pitcher.

1956 Season
Hurd was 3-4 with a 5.33 ERA in 40 relief appearances in 1956.  His wildness did him in, as he had 47 walks and 34 strikeouts in 76 innings pitched.  Only Ike Delock (#284) and Dave Sisler had more relief appearances than Hurd, and Hurd's five saves were second on the team behind Delock's nine.

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #116
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1955-1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #256

7 - Hurd non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 6/23/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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Sunday, April 30, 2023

#248 Bob Porterfield - Boston Red Sox


Erwin Cooledge Porterfield
Boston Red Sox
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  August 10, 1923, Newport, VA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:   New York Yankees 1948-1951; Washington Senators 1951-1955; Boston Red Sox 1956--1958; Pittsburgh Pirates 1958-1959; Chicago Cubs 1959; Pittsburgh Pirates 1959
Died:  April 28, 1980, Charlotte, NC (age 56)

A veteran of a dozen big league seasons, Bob Porterfield spent his best years as a starting pitcher for the Senators in the early 1950s.  Originally drafted by the Yankees, he saw limited playing time with the club between 1948 and early 1951, making a few spot starts in between frequent trips back to the Yankees'  farm teams in Newark or Kansas City.  Porterfield would get a chance for regular pitching appearances when the Senators acquired him with Tom Ferrick and Fred Sanford in June 1951 in exchange for Bob Kuzava.  Inserted into the Senators' starting pitching rotation, Porterfield would make 138 starts over the next five seasons.  His career best year came in 1953 when he was 22-10 with a 3.35 ERA, while leading the league with 24 complete games and nine shutouts.  Porterfield finished seventh in that year's MVP voting and was named The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year.  He was named to the American League All-Stars in 1954, and while his numbers slipped, he still led the league with 21 complete games.

Porterfield was never the same following the 1954 season, which could be a result of his heavy workload while with the Senators.  Struggling with control, he had a few seasons in which his walks exceeded his strikeouts.  He was included in a nine-player trade with the Red Sox in November 1955, and he'd pitch for four more seasons with the Red Sox, Pirates (two stints), and Cubs, primarily as a reliever.  He found some late career success in 1958 with the Pirates, saving five games.  Porterfield had an 87-97 lifetime record with a 3.79 ERA in 318 games pitched, and he was posthumously inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

December 24, 2007 - Dad and Doug
Building the Set
December 28, 2007 from Dad's eBay purchase - Card #330
I last shared this full story with the Whitey Ford (#240) post, but I'll repeat myself, in an edited version, here.  The way my Dad and I finished the 1956 Topps set was somewhat anti-climatic but nevertheless a joyful memory.  Leading up to the Christmas of 2007, my Dad (with the help of my Mom) scoured eBay and other online baseball card stores for the remaining 29 cards we needed to complete the set.  Throughout the weeks and months leading up to the holidays, he knew we had completed the set but he kept it quiet, wanting to surprise me on Christmas morning.  I have no idea, and I'll never know, what the true last card was that he acquired to finish off the set.  And I have no record, nor was he able to tell me, how much they had paid for any of these final 29 cards.  This Porterfield card was one of the final 29.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Porterfield appeared exclusively with Bowman in 1954 and 1955, and this marks his return to Topps.  Maybe Topps had time to get new photos of the pitcher in a Red Sox uniform, but he's more likely wearing Senators gear here and the Topps' artists went to work to switch him over to the Red Sox.  The cartoons on the back highlight his acquisition from the Senators, his career year of 1953 and also mentions the injuries that hampered him during 1954 and 1955.

Porterfield's full name is on display on the back, and per his SABR biography, "Erwin's father began calling him 'Bob' when he was 6, for reasons unknown."

1956 Season
Porterfield had a forgettable 1956 season with his new club, going 3-12 with a 5.14 ERA in 25 games, including 18 starts.  He missed time with a sprained ankle and a circulatory problem that caused several fingers in his pitching hand to go numb.  In 126 innings pitched, Porterfield walked 64 and struck out 53.

1949 Bowman #3
1950 Bowman #216
1953 Topps #108
1957 Topps #118
1959 Topps #181

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #3
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1952-1953, 1956-1959
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Topps Archives 1953 #108

39 - Porterfield non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/30/23.

 Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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